


When the past meets the present

by BlueOrchidx



Series: Of Guardians and Protectors. [1]
Category: Bleach
Genre: F/M, Gen, Growth, Oc goes along with Uraharas schemes, pasts, reconnection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-03-23
Packaged: 2019-11-14 18:52:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18058088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueOrchidx/pseuds/BlueOrchidx
Summary: Multi-chapter fic of the previously posted fic with the same name.When her family gets pulled into the world she walked away from, she's forced to face her past.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo, I gave in.  
> I'm uploading this as a multi-chapter, finally. SHAWWWWW, ARE YOU PROUD sksks.
> 
> Basically, I'm hoping readers have finished Bleach. Mainly because early spoilers of what happened in the final arc, in terms of what was revealed.
> 
> I will be following the anime for the most part, if only because lifting the dialogue for particular events is easier with the anime then it is with the manga. Buuuut this also gives me leeway to build up on Yuukis relationship with Byakuya.
> 
> This.Will.Be.Slowly.Developed.  
> Byakuya has the kind of character that won't move on from his beloved for a long time, not until he feels ready. Please keep that in mind. Romance won't be a heavy theme, but something more subtle .
> 
> PLEASE NOTE; I will be changing some events slightly to include my oc. It will usually be her taking on some talking - from other characters -, or them accomodating her *presence* in some way. 
> 
> Welp, as usual. I do not own Bleach. Kubo Tite does.  
> I do own Yuuki. She is mine. My Preccciiiooouusss.
> 
> As always, much love, and enjoy!  
> \- Styxx,

‘’That boy of yours…sure knows how to hold a grudge’’ Yuuki observed, looking out of the directors office window. From what she could sense, a heavy concentration of hollows were congregating in Karakura town. She frowned, turning to look at the older Ishida. 

Ishida Ryuken pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose before lighting his cigarette. 

‘’What my son does is his business’’ he responded shortly. 

Yuuki didn’t bother hiding the look of distaste. Ryuken didn’t hide his growing impatience for the soul reaper. 

‘’You should be more concerned, he’s putting the safety of innocent humans at risk’’ she bit back as she pushed the window open. 

Ryuken finally turned his blank stare to look at the woman. She was tensed, ready to jump out to join the fray if need be.

Before he could say anything, her phone went off.

‘’Kisuke’’ she answered, waiting for whatever the other person had to say. Humming, she murmured an affirmative before snapping her phone shut. 

‘’You might not like getting involved in our affairs, Ryu, but you should keep an eye on your son. He’ll be seduced by their ideals later on if you don’t’’ she warned. Without waiting for a response, she gripped the window sill and jumped out, quickly making her way back to Uraharas store. 

|

‘’ _Special abilities?_ ’’ he could hear the incredulity in her voice. 

When she had returned, she eyed the bodies of the two teens he and Tessai had collected, before pulling her jacket off and helping Tessai deal with their injuries. 

From what she could gather, they had both _unlocked_ individual abilities. Urahara had implied that those abilities, along with the rise in their spiritual power was a result of their association with Kurosaki Ichigo. That thought unnerved her. 

‘’They’re just exhausted’’ she eventually concluded. They had managed to heal any physical injuries that had from their fights, but the teens still needed time to rest. Unlocking new abilities put a strain on the body, one Yuuki was well acquainted with, after all her years of training with Urahara, Yoruichi and Tessai. 

Urahara smiled. ‘’Thank you, Yuu-chan’’. She shook her head. 

‘’Don’t overwhelm them when they wake up’’ she warned. He knew the effects of overwhelming a person with information before they could comprehend it. He nodded.  
‘’Will you be staying?’’ he questioned. Much like Yoruichi, Yuuki preferred to keep her involvement with the humans to a minimum, avoiding it where and when she could.

Pursing her lips, she nodded slowly. ‘’Yeah…I’m curious to see how this turns out’’ she admitted. Part of her was concerned for the child of her younger brother and his _friends_ , part of her was genuinely curious to see how the mess would be cleaned up. Her gut told her that the boys would follow down the same path of their fathers and become friends...eventually. 

|

‘’Oh, you’re up at last.’’ Urahara observed cheerfully. Yuuki who stood a little behind him refrained the sigh that threatened to escape her lips.

‘’Who is that?’’ Orihime questioned warily.

‘’I don’t know but...it seems we were saved by him’’ Sado responded. Yuuki had difficulty reading him, but from what she gathered, he was the blunt, silent, sincere type. He reminded her of _him_.

‘’Correct. Now then, where to begin?’’ Urahara questioned rhetorically. 

|

‘’Just a minute’’ Sado interrupted incredulously. Or at least, as incredulously as he could sound.

‘’Y-yes, all this about soul reapers and hollows…it’s so sudden’’ Orihime chimed in.

‘’Then will you deny the fact that you were attacked earlier?’’ Urahara challenged. Yuuki released a tired yawn. 

‘’Well…’’ Orihime begun, unsure. 

‘’Kurosaki Ichigo is fighting hollows as a soul reaper as we speak’’ Yuuki offered. The attention of the two humans quickly snapped to her. She hadn’t spoken since they woke up and they eventually forgot she was there.

‘’and the strong spiritual energy that he released has influenced you’’ Urahara cut in, eyeing Yuuki with mild amusement.

‘’that’s what it means’’ Yuuki chimed, bouncing on her heels, hands clasped behind her back.

‘’However, it’s all up to you, whether you open the gate that has appeared before you or now.’’ Urahara concluded, voice implying that they even had a choice. Yuuki would punch him later for misleading them.

 

The sliding door opened, revealing Tessai. ‘’Boss…the sky ridge had begun to converge’’ he informed. Yuuki resisted the urge to smile when Orihime and Sado looked more alarmed.

‘’And the preparations?’’ Urahara inquired.

‘’All set’’ Tessai responded, not missing a beat. 

‘’Well then, let’s go.’’ Urahara

‘’Will you come?’’ Yuuki questioned softly, deliberately keeping her features soft in an attempt to ease them.

‘’I shall show you…what is beyond the gate’’ Urahara promised, preparing to leave. Yuuki had to refrain from rolling her eyes at his inability to not be dramatic. 

|

‘’Can you see Ishida…and Ichigo, who’s next to him?’’ Sado questioned Orihime.  
‘’Yes’’ Orihime responded. Yuuki noted that she looked deep in thought. 

‘’Sado-kun’’ Orihime called, getting his attention. 

‘’Hmm?’’ Sado hummed in response.

‘’What are we supposed to do?’’ Orihime questioned. Yuuki was reminded of her young brother, who frequently felt lost during their youth. 

Placing her hand on the younger girls shoulder, she squeezed it reassuringly. ‘’Watch. Then decide which path you want to follow’’ she instructed, voice firm. Despite being sent by Urahara to keep an eye on them, a part of her felt sadness. They were too young to be pulled into her world, but she supposed that if she could help guide them, then maybe things might turn out okay.

|

The clean-up was swift. Yuuki had escorted both humans home, to ensure their safety and promised that they could drop by the shop any time if they still had questions, or when they reached their answer. 

When they were safely out of the way, she joined the fray, quickly eliminating any hollows that remained. 

Following the clean-up, Urahara and Tessai dropped Ichigo back at home. Yuuki had escorted Ishida all the way to the hospital, where he was checked out thoroughly by one of the nurses on staff. 

When she was comfortable enough to leave him, she headed up to the directors office again. She opened the door, not bothering to know or announce her presence. 

This time, the older Ishida gave her his attention. 

‘’This may not end well’’ she offered eventually, running a hand over her face. She had collapsed into the chair across from him.

He eyed her critically for a moment. 

‘’It’s too early to know that for sure’’ he responded. He sounded somewhat hopeful, despite knowing what was practically around the corner.

She frowned. ‘’Fate is never so kind, Ryu. They’re going to have to…’’ she trailed off. They both knew what was in store for the boys, it was something that had been foretold years before. 

‘’That _boy_ is that _mans_ son. They have a habit of defying their destinies’’ he responded dismissively. 

Yuukis eyes widened in surprise, before she let out a sigh of relief. Ryuken appeared to still trust Ichigos father, for the most part. He seemed convinced that they shared the same inane ability and drive to changing their destinies. She hoped she could agree with that conviction. 

Lips lifting in a teasing smile, she eyed him in amusement. ‘’If I didn’t know any better Ryu-chan, I’d say you believed in a soul reaper’’ she teased lightly. She was met with a very heavy medical journal to the face in response. 

|

When she was done poking fun at the Quincy, she left the hospital. The day was relatively nice, and it was a quiet trek back to the shop. She decided to take the scenic route. 

When she finally arrived at the shop, she was met with an odd site. 

Urahara was waving around a cat toy, trying to get the attention of a black cat that was sitting on the fence, looking irritated. 

‘’Ahh, Yoruichi, welcome back’’ she greeted when she was close enough. 

‘’Yuuki-chan!’’ Urahara greeted, sounding relieved. 

The moment his attention snapped to Yuuki, Yoruichi took that moment to jump on his shoulder, being sure to sink her claws in, before jumping down to trot to Yuukis legs. 

Urahara squatted, holding his shoulder whilst whining at the pain. 

Tessai, who had been watching the entire thing from the shops entrance had shook his head, before helping Urahara inside.

‘’Was that necessary?’’ Yuuki questioned amusedly, stroking Yoruichis back, making sure to scratch behind her ears.

Letting out a content purr, Yoruichi pressed her head further into Yuukis palm; she always loved the way Yuuki petted her.

‘’He had it coming with that stunt he just pulled’’ she defended half-heartedly, her golden eyes twinkling in mischief. 

Yuuki was unsure if the older soul reaper was referring to the days events, or Uraharas general inability to stop being a moron when Yoruichi was in her cat form.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soo, how was that?!
> 
> As always, I apologise for any gramatical errors. Or things that may be unclear - they'll work themselves out with the later chapters! -.  
> Buuuut, thank you for baring with me despite all of its flaws.  
> It's difficult, not having beta/proof readers. Basically means I'll have to come back and eventually edit properly myself at some stage.
> 
> ANYWAYS.  
> If anyone noticed. I pulled Ryukens; ‘’What my son does is his business’’ riiiight out of the anime. He says it to Isshin lmao. I actually love dads, they're great.
> 
> I also love the the relationship Yuuki has with Urahara/Yoruichi/Tessai, writing them is going to be fuuuun.
> 
> Okay, that's it from me.  
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter!  
> Please leave a Kudos to show me this is well received, or a comment if you've got any feedback, I loooove feedback.
> 
> Much Love,  
> \- Styxx.


	2. Training, Making Quincies Mad and Journey Preparations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh, fiiiinally. Chapter two!  
> I realllly hate writing dialogue. I'm far better at using it sparingly [description is important  
> !] but - the price to pay for lifting out of the anime instead of manga.  
> So, I've had to work around episode dialogue, as I preciously mentioned, to better accomodate Yuuki.
> 
> This was so long. I think it's the longest I've written - can totally tell I'm still new to this. Hopefully I'll get better as I go.
> 
> As always, I do not own Bleach, it's characters or the verse - Kubo Tite does.
> 
> If you enjoyed this, please leave a kudos, or a comment. If you didn't, feel free to tell me why.  
> Enjoy!  
> \- Styxx.

‘’Lesson?’’ Orihime questioned. 

‘’Are you interested in taking it?’’ Yuuki questioned back, voice amused.

‘’B-but, so out of the blue like that…’’ Orihime murmured slightly panicked. 

‘’Rather, the problem is…The cat.’’ Observed Sado, eyeing the Black cat that could speak.

‘’what do you mean?’’ Orihime wondered.

‘’Hmm’’ Yoruichi hummed.

‘’Ichigo has begun preparations to enter the Soul Society’’ the small black cat explained, voice deep.

‘’If you also want to use the powers that have awakened inside you, then take my lessons.’’ She went on to explained, jumping up to sit on Yuukis right shoulder.

‘’you can decide whether you’re really going or not after that.’’ Yuuki offered, arms crossed across her chest.

‘’I’m going’’ Sado informed, not missing a beat. Yuuki had expected as much.

‘’Sado-kun…I…uhm’’ the ginger haired girl was more unsure, hesitant. 

‘’I won’t force you’’ Yoruichi stated, shifting across Yuukis shoulders so she could wrap around the younger soul reapers neck.

Yuuki laughed, reaching over to rub Orihime’s hair. ‘’It really is your decision. Soul Society is a vastly different place, and we can’t guarantee your safety…but if there’s a chance to save your friend, will you take it?’’ she questioned, eyes soft.

Determination shone in the young girls eyes before she nodded resutely.

‘’But first, there’s somewhere I want to go…’’

Yoruichi purred her assent, listening to Orihimes demand. 

|

‘’You know that he’s likely going to follow Kurosaki…right?’’ She questioned curiously, perched on the back of his chair.

He barely looked at her. 

‘’What that boy does is none of my concern’’ he responded cooly, reading through another file and signing it. 

Yuuki couldn’t help but snort.

‘’He’s going to be following a Soul Reaper…to Soul Society…and you’re acting like it’s none of your concern’’ she reiterated, staring at the back of his head. 

He put the paper he was reading down and finally turned to look at her. If she were a lesser person, she would have melted right into his expensive leather chair. 

‘’Make sure he doesn’t die’’ he said simply before turning back to his work. 

She snorted again. 

‘’What makes you think I’ll be accompanying them?’’ she questioned amusedly.

‘’You wouldn’t allow your _nephew_ to walk into enemy territory without a proper guide. She would come back and kill you herself if something happened to that boy’’ he explained; voice oddly gleeful despite his monotone. She wondered how he was able to achieve such a thing.

Sighing, her shoulders slumped. Even after all these years, the younger male was able to call her bluffs. It always unnerved her how he would see through her teasing. His personality could only be summed up as being a result of _that womans_ influence in their youth. 

‘’Misa-chan would sooner kill you for the messed-up way you’re treating Ishida jr.’’ she retorted smugly. 

She hit the nail on the head. His shoulders tensed, and the pen in his hand snapped in half. She did a mini victory dance in her head, that was the ninth pen she had made him break that week. 

‘’I’ll raise my son the way I wish’’ he snapped back. 

Her lips pulled into a feral grin. If there was anything Yuuki loved to do, it was to press Ishida Ryukens buttons. He was such an amusing human. 

‘’Yes – yes, if what you’re doing to him can even be _considered_ raising’’ she goaded further. 

She leaned sidewards slightly to avoid getting an arrow to the face.

Cackling, she slipped off the back of his expensive leather office chair and slinked over to the window. Opening it, she lifted a leg, hands holding onto the sill, preparing to jump out. 

‘’You realllyyyy should ease up on the whole hard love thing. Uryú deserves better’’ she called over her shoulder before she jumped out, not bothering to listen to his refute. 

 

|

 

‘’Will ten days really be enough’’ she questioned, resisting the urge to poke her head over the hole to check in on the orange haired strawberry.

Urahara snapped his fan infront of his face, hiding the smirk she knew was pulling at his lips.

‘’Are you concerned, Yuu?’’ her questioned smugly. 

She blinked for a moment. Then lifted her hand to the back of his head and slapped him upside the head. 

‘’You’re treading in dangerous territory’’ she remarked, attention turning back to the hole.

‘’Kurosaki-kun is strong’’ Urahara jibed. 

It took a moment for Yuuki to react. 

‘’Strong isn’t going to prepare him for what he’s being jumping into’’ she murmured eventually. 

Uraharas gaze softened, half in guilt, half in understanding. It was his fault Yuuki had left _that_ place to begin with. She hadn’t given leaving with them a second thought, and she had been an indisputable asset over the years. When Isshin arrived in the human world and stayed, she devoted herself to protecting her younger brothers family as best she could from the shadows, not wanting them to be pulled into their world. But destiny, Urahara supposed, had a different plan for Kurosaki Ichigo, one that she had accepted early on.

‘’He’ll be fine, Shiroyuki. I promise you’’ he sounded unusually earnest in his guarantee. 

Yuuki nodded half-heartedly before turning to leave the underground training area in search  
for something less troublesome to do. 

 

|

Something less troublesome happened to be visiting the grave of her departed sister-in-law.

Yuuki washed the headstone, lit incense, put up flowers and knelt down to pray for Misaki. It had been a while since she paid the former matriarch of the Kurosaki house a visit, and she felt a little guilty for putting it off. 

‘’I’m sure that idiot brother has been by, little sister…’’ she begun softly, lifting her right hand to push loose hair behind her ear. Her eyes squinted for a minute, remembering a conversation she one had with the other woman. 

‘’I know I said I’d look after them…Ichigos going _there_ because he’s just like that idiot Isshin’’ she informed, laughing exasperatedly towards the end. 

‘’I’ll make sure he gets home safe’’ she promised solemnly. 

The smell of smoke suddenly surrounded Yuuki, and she sighed.

‘’I thought you were only going to do that one a year’’ she threw over her shoulder.

Her younger brother offered a sheepish look, the hand not holding the cigarette lifted to rub the back of his neck in embarrassment at being caught out. 

‘’I wasn’t expecting to see you here, Yuu-nee’’ he laughed bashfully, closing the distance so he could sit beside her.

‘’It felt wrong. Letting him go there and not telling her about it’’ she explained, eyes dropping guiltily.

Isshin understood. Yuuki had spent the last fifteen odd years watching over his children, keeping them from harms way. Until now…she had been successful. He didn’t blame her for this though. It was inevitable that Ichigo would somehow awaken his soul reaper powers, Isshin had accepted that a long time ago. He supposed Yuuki had seen it as a failure in her promise to his dead wife.

‘’It’ll be fine, you’ll be with him after all’’ he reassured her with a booming laugh as he slapped her heartily on the back.

‘’No harm will befall him’’ she nodded determined, voice firm.

Isshin eyed her for a moment, before taking a drag of his cigarette. 

‘’Nee-san, you can’t keep him safe anymore. He needs guidance now than protection’’ he informed seriously. 

Her head snapped to the side as she started at him with wide eyes.

‘’It’s too late to keep him from all of this, it would be better to just guide him so he can navigate it all better’’ he explained, exhaling the smoke, shoulders slumping slightly.

Yuuki blinked quickly. She couldn’t deny the logic. Ichigo had been pulled into their world unwillingly, but now he was jumping straight into it to save a friend. She understood the motivation; she had left that place for the very same reason. 

Sighing, her shoulders sagged, and her composure faltered completely. She nodded slowly, before turning to face the headstone again. 

‘’Guide him it is…’’ she murmured begrudgingly. 

Isshin smiled.

|

Before she knew it, the ten days were up, and their mismatched group were preparing to make their journey to Soul Society. 

Yuuki had spent the majority of the night before meditating, spending time in her inner world with her zanpaktou, whilst Yoruichi trained with Kisuke and Tessai. The children were curled up on either side of Yuuki, having fallen asleep after the first hour. 

Before any of them knew it, morning had broken, and they could sense the spiritual pressures of the group of high schools slowly make their way to the shop. 

‘’Ne, Yuu, are you going to make a dramatic entrance?’’ Urahara questioned curiously, running the towel through his wet hair. He had managed to find the time to shower quickly, and looked relatively presentable. Yoruichi had slinked off to clean herself and transform back into her cat form. Tessai had picked up the children and said something about tucking them in. 

Humming, she tilted her head to the side in contemplation, before slowly rolling her stiff shoulders and nodding. 

‘’Why not. Could be fun’’ she responded, excitement slipping into her voice. Urahara laughed lightly. 

Nudging his junior lightly, he pushed her towards the basement entrance. 

‘’You should get ready to leave. There’s not much time left’’ he informed lightly.

She nodded, turning on her heel to get her things together and take a quick shower.

|

‘’Alright, your attention please! Here we go!’’ Urahara called. The doorway that they would be using to get to Soul Society appeared seemingly out of nowhere behind him.

‘’This is the gate that leads to Soul Society. It’s known as the Senkaimon, which is written, ‘Tunnel World Gate’. Now listen very carefully. Before that…Won’t you come out, Yuuki-chan’’ He sighed in mock exasperation.

Before any of the teens could look around, a flash of light blue passed by them and seemingly smashed Ichigo into the ground. His body lay limp on the ground.

‘’WHAT’S THE BIG IDE-‘’ He started angrily, cutting himself off when he noticed her. 

Yuuki was pulling off her Gokon Tekko, passing it to Tessai.

‘’You-‘’ he started again.

Turning around to face him, she tilted her head to the side, face passive.

‘’Shiba Yuuki, your guide to the other world’’ she introduced lazily, blinking slowly at him.

Yuuki had traded her usual human clothes for a skin tight light pink sleeveless dress that ended mid-thigh. Draped over it was a light blue haori with flower patterns. She left her dark hair down for once, allowing it to flow down her back. Like this, Yuuki looked like an older, feminine version of Karin.

Kurosaki eyed her critically for a moment, trying to place where he thought he knew her from. When he came up with nothing, he nodded.

When the novelty of Ichigo’s lifeless body wore off, Urahara guided the other teens attention back to the Senkaimon.

‘’This gate has a layer of reishihenkanki, spirit-particle conversion machine on top of a normal Senkaimon ‘’ Urahara explained. 

‘’Spirit-particle…conversion machine?’’ came Ichigos confused question.

‘’Yes. As you already know, the Soul Society is a world of spirits. It is impossible to enter that world unless you have the form of a spirit ‘’ Yuuki informed from her space beside Urahara.

‘’However, only Kurosaki-san, as a soul reaper can cross through. So, we will use the Henkanki to convert you into spirits ‘’ Urahara chimed in with excitement. Yuuki eyed him from the corner of her eye. Quite a few of his inventions had not been tried out, so getting the opportunity to do so excited the mad-scientist greatly.

‘’In other words…even without extracting our spirits by going through this gate…’’ Ishida commented, checking to see if he understood what they were getting at.

‘’Correct. You will be able to enter the Soul Society like that ‘’ Urahara nodded.

‘’Okay, got it! Lets - ’’ Ichigo begun, only to have Yuuki flash step beside him and elbow him hard in the ribs. He doubled over, holding his side whilst cursing her.

‘’However, the time that we have to open the gate and connect to the Soul Society is…four minutes ‘’ the other shoe dropped. The four teens looked at Urahara with varying levels of concern.

‘’I-is that enough time?’’ Ichigo questioned nervously.

‘’Normally it would be impossible ‘’ Yuuki commented, smirk pulling at her lips. Ichigo eyed her wearily. She seemed to like teasing him. 

‘’What?!’’ came his incredulous response.  
‘’It’s a reckless idea to start with. I’ll do my very best and hold it for four minutes. If you can’t cross over in that time… you will be trapped forever between the Soul Society and this world‘’ Urahara informed seriously, head tilted slightly, hat lowering over his eyes.

‘’What should we do?’’ Orihime questioned worriedly.

‘’Go forward. I told you that the heart and soul are connected. The important thing is what you feel in your heart and the will to move forward. We will guide you. Go forward, only those who can do that can follow us’’ Yoruichi called, voice strong, motivating. For a moment, Yuuki heard the former commander of the Onmitsukidō, and head of the Shihōin family. 

‘’Are you babbling in your sleep or what? That’s why we’re here!’’ Ichigo exclaimed. 

‘’You understand kid, that if you fail, you cannot return‘’ Yoruichi challenged, eyeing him from the corner of her eye. 

‘’So I just have to win, right?’’ Ichigo clarified, shoulders set. He looked determined. Yuuki noted that he looked more like Kaien in that moment, with the sheer determination. 

‘’Exactly’’ Yuuki nodded, arms crossed over her chest. 

‘’Are you ready? Run in the instant it opens’’ Urahara questioned, preparing to open the gate. Tessai followed suit. 

‘’ Right!’’ Ichigo affirmed.

‘’Let’s do it.’’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may have noticed that Urahara addressed her as 'Shiroyuki'. Basically, that's her birth name. Since defecting from Soul Society, she adopted the name 'Yuuki' instead. For most of her youth she was either 'Yuki' or 'Shiro'. 
> 
> Her birthname ties into some of the story later on!


End file.
